Congress hits a wall as instability rocks grand old party

After the defeat in the Lok Sabha election 2019, the Congress seems to be sinking deeper into disillusionment as it struggles to deal with the trauma.

The instability which the party has been subjected to since the elections, has rocked the foundation of its South frontier in Karnataka, while taking Goa in its stride. Ten Congress MLAs in Goa have switched sides and been on a Delhi visit.

The pandemonium in Karnataka and now Delhi has been unable to wake up the party that seems to be in deep slumber.

The Congress has been subject to jibes by its rival party BJP.

“Congress has no national president for 40 days now. How can BJP be responsible for it? Congress MLAs think that the party is bankrupt, so they are joining BJP,” Minister of Environment and Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javdekar said.

Javdekar’s scathing attack comes in the middle of a sea of resignations in the Congress and a flurry of MLAs switching sides. Adding to the conundrum is Rahul Gandhi’s unwillingness to actively participate till a replacement can be found.

The uncertainty in the Congress has had a telling effect on the state units with power brokers looking for fresh pastures on the other side.

The hectic meetings being held at 15, Gurudwara Rakabganj Road to find a leader have also dried as party awaits the arrival of Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi from abroad.

With Priyanka Gandhi back, a Congress Working Commitee (CWC) could be held anytime but only after a consensus is built on the name. Party leaders are already getting calls from veterans to know their choice.

“We are being asked for our choice. There are names doing rounds. But how would I know what the other has said? There is ambiguity over it,” said a CWC member.

Amidst growing clamour of calling a CWC meeting at the earliest and resolving the leadership issue, Rahul Gandhi staged a protest with other opposition leaders at the Gandhi Statue in Parliament on Thursday.

Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, who has also resigned from his post as party general secretary, urged the party to take a decision soon to ensure course correction.

“Our effort was to convince Rahul ji to continue. But, Rahul ji remains firm on whatever decision he takes and I am proud of that. We have to search for a new party president. A lot of time has elapsed. Now, we cannot allow more time to pass,” Jyotiraditya Scindia said. Scindia himself lost the Lok Sabha election from his traditional seat, Guna.

Leaders are hoping that the Congress party might see the end of the tunnel after Priyanka Gandhi’s return.

Get real-time alerts and all the news on your phone with the all-new India Today app. Download from